My brother asked me if I wanted to go see Springsteen in Milan for $1000. As a major fan, I said no. My sister and her H went with my brother and his wife. They told me it was the worst experience. They were supposed to get floor seat, but got some nose bleed tickets one hour before the concert. The sound was horrible because they never upgraded the sound system. My siblings said that they were so happy I didn’t go because I would have lost it.
I am going to see the boss for $300/ticket for lower level seats in nyc (well, not paying for it because it’s a Mother’s Day present).
One thing I won’t pay for - Starbucks drinks.
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I totally agree on Door Dash/Uber Eats. I have NEVER done it. My step-d does it fairly often, and it drives me crazy.
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I’m really not big on ice cream, but that being said, my favorite is Kentucky Pie made by Olympic Mountain Ice Cream. I can only buy it at the oyster place down the road, and they don’t always have it. I will savor it in small bowls or in an affogato, and it will last weeks, if not the summer. If my SIL sees it she will scarf it down like it’s Safeway ice milk, so I hide it where she’s not going to look.
I used to buy packets of pre-cooked rice for convenience-sake, for camping or if it’s just me. When I was at the grocery store last week, they had packets for upwards of $5. A bag of uncooked rice cost about the same.
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One of my sons won the FIFA lottery as well - he got tix for 3 games (4 seats each). Of course, by the time he got into the portal all that was left were $300 seats so it wiped him out (he’s a college student). We stupidly thought he could use his AMEX card (linked to mine) but they’d only take VISA since it was a VISA promotion and his only VISA was his debit card so . . . . He’s a soccer nut so he’s very excited.
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As someone with allergies, I’d beg you to please pass on the perfume.
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Food delivery purchase are on average are more expensive than shopping in store, which relates to how the food delivery service makes a profit. Most (not all) mark up prices higher than in store, there are fees such as service and delivery, and there is a tip. However, there are also opportunities for large savings as different services will give steep discounts in an effort to increase customer base and become the dominant player.
As an example, on my previous Uber Eats order I used an Uber Eats 60% off coupon, paid with Uber gift card that I purchased for an additional 20% off, shopped at a discount grocer (Aldi), and selectively stocked up on items that are better value at Aldi than other alternative grocers such as frozen vegetables, meats, lentils, and their Toasted O’s cereal.
The biggest factor in my food spending decreasing substantially from 2024 to 2025 has been doing the bulk of my grocery shopping via delivery services, like Instacart, Uber Eats, and Door Dash. In addition to cost savings, time savings and convenience is also valuable to me. It’s great to be able to get my groceries done while I am simultaneously on a long walk outside with my dog.
As such I am not opposed in principle to using Door Dash or similar for a restaurant, but I rarely do so, as that defeats the purpose of restaurants for me. If I just want something to eat, I’ll eat something at home… no need get it from a restaurant. Instead I go to a restaurant when eating at home is not sufficient. I might want a shared special experience with family. Or I might be on a road trip. Door Dash doesn’t work well in either scenario, but not because it’s “so expensive I refuse to buy it”.
I never been a big concert goer (although in my youth I did see the Rolling Stones, Jimmy Buffet, and Prince which impressed DC) and would probably not spend hundreds and definitely not thousands now on tickets (we did go with DC to see AJR few years ago and had a great time).
We go out to eat pretty frequently but not expensive/high end - and usually on a “deal” night. Half price pizza night, burger night, etc. I got tired of spending $30 on an entree and it being just ok/fine.
I won’t spend a lot on a hotel when we are basically just sleeping there. But…I do need clean and safe. A Hampton Inn type place works just fine.
I have never paid for delivery for food. We’ll pick it up. I could see doing delivery if I was sick or couldn’t drive, etc.
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Oh gosh I didn’t even know that!
Homemade brand chocolate chip rivals Graters! And both made/started in Cincinnati!
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I paid $5.68 for a pint of blueberries at our Walmart Super Center this afternoon.
Our ds got single tickets to two FIFA games this summer. One happens to have some very famous player playing. Don’t ask me the country or the name of the player. I think he plans to resell that one which should cover the cost of the lesser ticket completely.
We never go to concerts or the movies. We reached out to friends yesterday about meeting us at a brewery. They said they had to decline because they were going to project hail mary (she didn’t capitalize any of the words in her reply). I thought that meant they were going to mass! That’s how out of the loop I am.
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We have frequently paid $200+/night for a hotel room in rural Illinois where our extended family lives. Not the Ritz - we are talking Holiday Inn Express, Hampton and La Quinta.
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Much depends on competition, time of year, location, etc as to how much you have to pay. Priceline & Hotwire can have some decent deals if you aren’t too picky on location & figure out what you’re bidding on. Also, how far in advance you reserve makes a difference & if you’re eligible for discounts—AAA, SR, corp, etc.
You gotta find -like I’m going to Virginia Beach May 12th. Most are sold out or $300 plus. Got a Courtyard for $117. Yes the reviews match it. Not bad but not updated. Those are the kind I find.
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I thought of your Olympic ticket post when talking to my daughter, who had put in for tickets and when her time came up she also said no to $400 tickets to swimming. She could have gotten lacrosse tickets for $175 and she said no, she’s watched enough lacrosse in her life. Several people she works with bought big packages - hotel, tickets - for BIG bucks.
Daughter then went the el cheapo route (learned from the best - ME) and signed up as a volunteer for golf and tennis I think. She still has to be picked for that.
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On St Patrick’s day I went to Sprouts (a grocery store sort of like Whole Foods, but not as posh) for Irish soda bread. It was $5/loaf, which I think was double what I used to pay for it but really good. I hadn’t shopped at Sprouts for a while, and usually just go there in the summer for fruit and veggies as they have nice stuff. I sometimes would buy the snacks from the bins like spicy Japanese snacks or sesame sticks, which used to be about $4/pound. Those were now $9/lb. But the candied fruit snacks like pineapple chucks were $18/lb. EIGHTEEN!
That was about 4x what I would pay for a snack.
I stopped ordering drinks at restaurants, even McDonald’s, unless included with the meal. I do like Chili’s 3 part meals - drink, side, and entree for $11-15
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You gotta find -like I’m going to Virginia Beach May 12th. Most are sold out or $300 plus. Got a Courtyard for $117. Yes the reviews match it. Not bad but not updated. Those are the kind I find.
In some small towns and some locations, there are few hotel rooms available.
It keeps prices high and demand low.
For instance where I live, a small town in a rural area which is a resort area in the summer, we have very few hotels so prices are pretty high even in the winter.
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DH is volunteering at FIFA. They have parking for the volunteers. Apparently no worse a walk than where he would park for a football game. He has to go into the city to get fitted for his official outfit.
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4 posts were merged into an existing topic: All Things Hotel!
Just started a new thread: All Things Hotel!
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I’ve recently decided that it is fine to splurge on healthy foods at the grocery.
Not keen on splurging for unhealthy foods at the grocery store, other than the occasional treat. I passed on beef for pot roast a few times in past months, even though it used to be a winter staple (great for getting multiple meals). The other day I looked at steaks and decided Never Mind.
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